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TNA’s Latest Resurrection, and Other Ponderings From Impact Wrestling

TNA has become a punchline. Sad, but true. The organization was once poised to be the one true American alternative to WWE. And now? They’re on their second network in two years, fighting to stay alive despite stars leaving in droves, and far more bad publicity than good. TNA, in the eyes of many, is damaged beyond repair.

But to their credit, they have survived. Despite all the blemishes on their record, there’s something to be said for that. And despite all the “fresh starts” TNA has had over the years, this week they got yet another chance.

Ideally, this show should have been formatted to cater to both TNA die-hards and those seeing the product for the first time. As it’s been quite awhile since I watched even a portion of Impact (I didn’t get Destination America), I essentially came in as the latter. TNA’s job this week was to impress me. So did they?

In all honesty, not really. But there were some definite bright spots on the show this week.

I’m going to do something I don’t normally do with my Raw reviews, which is go over the show in mostly chronological order. It lends itself to the tournament format…

Ponderings From TNA’s POP TV Debut:

Dixie Carter opens the broadcast. Championship series participants make appearances. I would not have opened the show with Dixie. In a lot of ways, her management is what’s been wrong with TNA for so many years. Seeing the show open up with her in the ring, kissing the network’s ass, as the audience waves a bunch of obviously planted POP TV gimmicks was hokey beyond belief. Also, she can’t act.

All four guys really should have gotten a chance to speak. Neither EC3 or Matt Hardy cut great promos, but at least they were able to introduce themselves to the audience. EC3 definitely came off as the star of the show, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. And Matt was introduced as the hero. As for the others, we got the sense that Eric Young was a bad guy and Bobby Lashley was a good guy. That’s about it. It’s a start, I suppose. But not necessarily an ideal one.

Josh Matthews and “Pope” D’Angelo Dinero are on commentary. I’ve listened to Josh Matthews call a lot of matches over the years. And here’s my question: Why is he lowering his register at times? His regular voice is fine. When your lead announcer sounds like he’s putting on a fake voice, that’s generally not a good sign.

Ethan Carter III def. Bobby Lashley to advance to the finals of the championship series. So…why is Lashley wearing a head band? He’s built like a brick wall and has a truck-load of natural athleticism. That’s all you need. The headband is just distracting.

Carter was the obvious winner here, simply because you couldn’t not have your lead heel in the main event. As athletic and explosive as Lashley can be, what’s always held him back is that he’s never had much of a character. He’s fun to watch, but he lacks a certain depth. Nice to see EC3 cheat to win with the help of Tyrus.

Kurt Angle announces Drew Galloway as the first opponent for his “farewell tour.” Match to take place next week on Impact. Jessie Godderz and Eli Drake chime in. This is a good choice. It’s certainly a far cry from Galloway’s days in 3MB. From a tactical standpoint, I’m very pleased to see TNA giving us a reason to tune in next week. Unlike Raw, they’re not relying purely on their audiences viewing habits.

I don’t know much about Jessie Godderz or Eli Drake. Drake wasn’t a bad promo, but his line about Godderz being “a hit with the 13-year-old girls” was kinda creepy. I’m not sure how long Godderz has been doing the whole social media darling persona, but in this segment he came off like a poor man’s Tyler Breeze.

Jeff Hardy appears in backstage segment with Jeremy Borash. Borash and Matthews need to switch roles. I don’t think I’ve ever even heard Borash call a match. But by this point in the show I knew I’d rather hear him than Josh.

It will be quite some time before we see Jeff Hardy wrestle again, which is a damn shame. Not just for him, but for TNA. He’s a star they could really use right now. Instead, he’s there in a supporting role for Matt, which doesn’t work. As good as Matt is, that’s the equivalent of having Batman in Robin’s corner.

Matt Hardy def. Eric Young to advance to the finals of the championship series. I didn’t get much out of this one. Again, the winner was pretty obvious. I like the idea of Eric Young playing an unhinged heel. But he still comes off goofy to me. Maybe I just need to see more of him…

James Storm returns to TNA to help Bobby Roode fend off Eric Young and the returning Bram. This was a big surprise, as James Storm has spent some time in NXT recently. I can only assume WWE wasn’t interested in signing him. Why else would we see him back in TNA? To be honest, it’s a little sad…

Still, as a TNA Original, James Storm will always be appreciated with this company. And evidently Beer Money is back together, which could be interesting. Seeing them go against The Wolves might make for a fun match.

Awesome Kong seemingly joins The Dollhouse after their loss to Gail Kim and The Beautiful People. I’m not familiar with Marti Bell, or the other two Dollhouse members. But I do remember that The Beautiful People was a heel group. And a pretty damn good one at that. So I’m guessing they’re back together for a nostalgia kick? Either way, it seems odd that they ended up teaming with Gail Kim.

Awesome Kong is a hell of an attraction, and an asset to whatever promotion she’s in. I’m not sure if, at this stage in her career, she’s got a lot of miles left on her. But in this role she might be able to give a nice rub to Marti Bell, or another new player in the Knockouts division, which is in need of some fresh blood.

“Miracle” Mike Bennett and Maria debut with TNA. No matter what you want to say about TNA, this is a good move for Bennett and Maria. They were with Ring of Honor for years, and it was time for a change in scenery. Husband and wife can now bring their act to a new promotion, and get in the mix with some new faces. It appears they even have an opponent ready for them in Matt Hardy. TNA really needs some new blood to liven things up, and if they’re lucky, Bennett is only the first of several new acquisitions.

Ethan Carter III def. Matt Hardy to become the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion. A solid match between these two, and without a doubt, the right man won. EC3 is without a doubt, this company’s brightest star. What’s more, he’s a star they created themselves. This is the guy they need to hitch their wagon to, and he’s the guy they need to use to make other new stars.

You can argue that much of this show was the same ol’ TNA we’ve seen for years now. But TNA is on a new network, with a young, talented, compelling performer leading the charge. They’re not nearly as good as they used to be. But they’ve certainly been in worse shape. And while that might not sound like the most optimistic take in the world, it’s definitely a realistic one.